Bhajan Lal to be issued notice through newspapers

Chandigarh, July 25 (IANS) A Haryana assembly committee probing the circumstances under which a river water sharing accord was signed in 1994 decided Friday to issue notice to former chief minister Bhajan Lal through newspaper advertisements to appear before it. The committee also decided that the advertisements would be pasted at his residences in Panchkula near Chandigarh, New Delhi and Hissar.

Haryana Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav told reporters Friday said that next meeting of the committee, headed by assembly speaker Raghubir Singh Kadian, to review the circumstances that led then chief minister Bhajan Lal to signing the Yamuna Accord in 1994 and the discrepancies in it, would be held Aug 19.

Bhajan Lal has not appeared at even a single meeting of the committee, which has met eight times. The last meeting was held June 23.

“We are giving him another opportunity to appear before the committee to present his case,” Yadav said.

Bhajan Lal was in the Congress while he was chief minister. He was expelled from the party this year for floating a new political outfit.

Haryana presently has a Congress government headed by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Yadav said that Bhajan Lal has not turned up so far to appear before the committee to clarify his stand about Yamuna Accord that was executed May 12, 1994.

“According to this memorandum of understanding, the share of the state was reduced from 67 percent to 47 percent. Besides, there were discrepancies between the cabinet decision and the final draft of the accord,” Yadav said.

He said that former irrigation minister Jagdish Nehra had appeared before the committee and apprised it of his views. Yadav declined to comment about Nehra’s reply.

Yadav maintained that great injustice was done with the people of Haryana while executing the Yamuna accord.